This dreamy chocolate cake is kissed with peppermint and white chocolate for an amazing holiday treat. On the outside a crown of red and white swirls and a skirt of crushed candy cane create a simple but elegant decoration scheme, while on the inside a two tone swirl awaits to delight your guests!

If you find cake decorating to be a bit intimidating then check out my How to Decorate a Cake post, it has lots of helpful tips and a full how to video.

A Bit About Italian Meringue Buttercream

Both Italian and Swiss meringue buttercream give you super smooth and VERY creamy frostings perfect for cake decorating! They are as a rule less sweet than American buttercream with is a plus for some and a munis for others. I have a FULL how to video and lots of tips in the blog posts for How to Make Italian Buttercream and How to Make Swiss Buttercream. Go ahead and check them out if you have any questions or just want a refresher!

A Few Tips!

If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.

If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.

To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set on theshop page or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a wholeblog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!

If you don’t want to make Italian buttercream you can use the American variety. I just prefer the smoothness and taste of the Italian variety. I know it’s a pain to make two different types of frosting though!

To pipe the two-tone frosting you fill one bag (1/2 way full) with white frosting, one bag with blue frosting and then put both bags in a third piping bag. No need for a tip, just snip about an inch off each bag.

Steps to Make a Chocolate Peppermint Cake

3. Beat the eggs and yolks in one at a time, then add in the vanilla and peppermint extract. In three batches, mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Don’t over-mix! Divide batter evenly into pans and bake at 350f for about 25 – 30 minutes or until the centers are done. Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack.

4. For the Italian Buttercream, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and 1/3 a cup of the sugar on medium high in a stand mixer. At the same time add 1 cup of the sugar and 1/3 cup water to a small sauce pan and cook on medium high. Stir to mix the sugar and water and then keep an eye on the temperature using a candy thermometer. When the sugar is at 240F and the egg whites reach the soft peak stage.

5. Slowly drizzle the sugar into the running mixer and lead the mixer running for 10 or so minutes to allow the meringue to cool.

6. Add in the butter a tablespoon at a time use immediately.

7. For the peppermint buttercream, Beat the butter and melted (and cooled) white chocolate together until well combined. Mix in the sifted powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Add the cream a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Separate into two batches. One will remain white and the other will be colored pink or red. Transfer each to a piping bag (fill half or a third full) with the tip snipped off and then add the two bags into a third bag fitted with a large round tip or with the tip snipped off.

8. Pipe the buttercream on the first cake layer. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane and repeat.

9. Cover in the assembled cake in a thin coat of buttercream. Smooth and transfer to fridge to chill.

10. Cover cake in Italian buttercream. Smooth sides with a bench scraper and top using an offset spatula.

11. Press crushed candy cane onto the bottom third of the cake.

12. To pipe the two-tone dollops, apply red buttercream to two sides of a piping bag fitted with an 869 tip then fill with white buttercream. I piped the dollops separately onto a square of parchment paper then chilled the dollops and transferred to the cake. You can TOTALLY pipe directly on the cake but when I’m making a swirled dollop I like to have the option of discarding the imperfect one instead of trying to scrape them off the cake.

Hope you enjoy!

If you’ve tried this cake then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

A rich chocolate peppermint cake with a kiss of peppermint, a white chocolate peppermint buttercream filling, crushed peppermint and a silky Italian buttercream all over.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate peppermint cake

Prep Time35minutes

Cook Time30minutes

Total Time1hour5minutes

Servings8people

Calories177kcal

Authorjkanell

Ingredients

For the Cake

2cupsall-purpose flour240g

1 1/2cupsugar300g

1cupunsalted butter227g, room temperature

1cupbuttermilk236mL

1/2cupcocoa powder + 1 tbsp58g

1/2tspbaking powder2g

1/2tspbaking soda3g

1tspsalt5g

2tspvanilla10mL

1tsppeppermint extract5mL

3eggs

2egg yolks

For the Peppermint Buttercream

1cupwhite chocolate170g, melted and cooled

1/2cupunsalted butter115g, room temperature

1poundconfectioners' sugar454g, sifted

1/2tsppeppermint extract2mL

1/4cupcream60mL, add a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached

10dropsfood coloring

For the Italian Buttercream

4egg whitesroom temperature

1 1/2cupsugar300g

1/3cupwater80mL

1pinchcream of tartar

1poundunsalted butter454g, room temperature

For the Assembly

1cupcrushed candy canes(approximately)

1869 piping tip

Instructions

For the Cake

Butter and flour 4 six inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift the flour baking soda and powder, salt and cocoa powder.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs and yolks in one at a time, then add in the vanilla and peppermint extract.

In three batches, mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Don't over-mix!

Divide batter evenly into pans and bake at 350f for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the centers are done. Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack.

For the Buttercream

Beat the butter and melted (and cooled) chocolate together until well combined. Mix in the powdered sugar and peppermint extract. Add the cream a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

For the Italian Buttercream

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and 1/3 a cup of the sugar on medium high in a stand mixer. At the same time add the rest of the sugar and water to a small sauce pan and cook on medium high. Stir to mix the sugar and water and then keep an eye on the temperature using a candy thermometer. When the sugar is at 240F and the egg whites reach the soft peak stage, slowly drizzle the sugar into the running mixer and lead the mixer running for 10 or so minutes to allow the meringue to cool. Add in the butter a tablespoon at a time use immediately.

For the Assemby

Pipe the buttercream on the first cake layer (you can do a two tone swirl if you'd like 🙂 Sprinkle with crushed candy cane and repeat. Crumb coat the exterior and allow to set in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Add the Italian buttercream and smooth. Apply the crushed candy cane to the base. Using an 869 tip, pipe dollops onto the top. You can also pipe the dollops onto a piping nail, freeze and apply to the top once set. If you use the piping nail you can twirl it while you pipe to get a swirled dollop.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

If you’re not using 6-inch pans, double the recipe for 8-inch pans or triple the recipe for 9-inch pans.

If you see little clumps of butter after you mix the wet ingredients don’t panic, it all works out by the time you mix in the dry ingredients. You can even use melted butter and warm the milk and sour cream up a bit if you like.

To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set online or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a wholeblog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!

To pipe the two-tone frosting you fill one bag (1/2 way full) with white frosting, one bag with blue frosting and then put both bags in a third piping bag. No need for a tip, just snip about an inch off each bag.

Reader Interactions

Discussion

I love this. I will be making it today. The only thing I have never made is Italian Buttercream. I’m scared, but I’m going to try. I can’t wait to make the filling. It sounds yummy. I wanted to make a new cake for Christmas this year and thought about peppermint because it’s pretty. lol No one seems thrilled when I mention it, but let’s see what they say after this. My husband will be the taste tester. He insists I make it today. Thank you for your recipes. I’m so glad I found you. Your work is awesome.

Wow! Your work is quite impressive & inspiring! I used your recipe for the Italian Buttercream and it was great! However, mine didn’t come out as white as yours. Would you mind sharing what type of butter you use? Thanks so much and keep up the amazing work!

Hi Cindy — If you are having difficulty, you can try doing a crumb coat first. I use an off-set spatula and a bench scraper to smooth it. I applied the peppermint with my hands (i.e. a scoop of it with my hands and pressed it against the cake). Let me know if this helps. Thanks, John.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Preppy Kitchen!

Thanks for stopping by! I’m John, a husband, dad to twins Lachlan and George, Los Angeles native, and an avid baker and cooker of all things delicious thanks to a life long education from my mother. This blog is where I share all of my kitchen creations!